Plants, being sessile constantly monitor environmental cues and respond appropriately to modulate their growth and development. Membrane transporters, act as gatekeepers of the cell regulating both the inflow of useful materials as well as exudation of harmful substances from the cell. Multidrug and Toxic Compound Extrusion (MATE) family of transporters are ubiquitously present in almost all forms of life including prokaryotes and eukaryotes. In bacteria, the MATE proteins were originally characterized as efflux transporters conferring drug resistance. There are 58 MATE transporters in Arabidopsis thaliana also known as DETOXIFICATION (DTX) proteins. In plants, these integral membrane proteins perform a diverse array of functions ranging from secondary metabolite transport, xenobiotic detoxification, and aluminium tolerance to disease resistance. MATE proteins also regulate overall plant development by controlling phytohormone transport, tip growth processes and senescence. While most of the functional characterization of the MATE proteins has been reported in Arabidopsis, recent reports suggest their diverse roles in numerous plant species. The wide array of functions exhibited by MATE proteins, highlight their multitasking ability. In this review, we have integrated information related to structure and functions of MATE transporters in plants. Since these transporters are central to mechanisms that allow plants to adapt to abiotic and biotic stresses, study of these transporters can potentially contribute to stress tolerance under changing climatic conditions.